There is no point in life in which forts cease to be fun. Take almost any activity that you do in your living room: Place it in a fort, and that activity becomes 200 percent more fun. For instance, movie night becomes movie night in a fort. Reading a good book becomes hiding out in a fort, reading a good book. Painting your nails becomes painting your nails in a fort. A fort can make any activity seem clandestine and exciting. For fort inspiration, have a look at the following five project ideas. Indoors or outdoors, a fort is an excellent DIY project to put on your to-do list.

The living room fort: How many ways can you build a living room fort? As many as you can dream up. Can you create a built structure in your living room to promote fort building? Yes you can! You could build a tent or tipi in the living room, or you could create a little booth with cloth walls. Maybe some kind of loft would suit your fancy!

Tree house fort: Blogger The Handmade Home built a totally rockin' tree house fort in their back yard. Huck Finn could have lived in this tree house. Have a look and tell me what kind of mischief/fixing the world Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn could have done in that tree house.

Pirate ship fort: A carpenter in Jacksonville built the most amazing fort, a walk-in pirate ship. Just because you are all grown up doesn't mean that you can't have a built backyard fort. Consider the pod, or the shed-turned-office. These are adult forts. They have enormous potential for whimsy and fun.

Bunk bed fort: This fort is so simple, and so easy. It doesn't involve hiring a carpenter. A bunk bed plus a simple curtain = a fort.

Play tent for kids: With the help of some long curtains, the corner of a living room (or any room, really) could become a magical fort. All you need for this project is a few boards, nails, wall anchors, curtain panels, and fabric. One afternoon's work could provide hours, and hours, and hours of fun for kids. Or for yourself.

A Justice Department civil rights investigation has concluded that the Ferguson Police Department and the city's municipal court engaged in a "pattern and practice" of discrimination against African Americans, targeting them disproportionately for tr...